MSC suffers container spill

What is happening: The Mediterranean Shipping Co has suffered an ocean container spill this week, with 270 boxes plunging into the depths.

Salvage: MSC hired a salvage company to help recover the lost containers, some of which had eventually found dry land on nearby Dutch island beaches.

Spills: These types of container spills are very rare in the shipping industry. Under 1,600 boxes are lost at sea each year, out of over 130 million containers.

Future: This does however highlight a small, but existing problem within the industry, and they are still working on safety measures to reduce further losses. These could include verifying weight, and establishing common loading practices.